For the first time in the IPL, Virat Kohli and Mitchell Starc faced off against each other. Aadya Sharma, at the venue, details how the much-anticipated contest unfolded.

The last time Mitchell Starc set foot at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as an IPL player was in May 2015. Shreyas Iyer, his current captain, was a 20-year-old opening the batting for Delhi Daredevils, yet to be rebranded to Capitals. Virat Kohli was still opening for RCB, and Dinesh Karthik was still their designated finisher. Starc was RCB’s strike bowler, but went wicketless for 35 runs in four.

Nine years later, in his comeback IPL season, Starc, now in KKR colours, went for thirteen more in as many. So far, the most expensive player in IPL history has leaked 100 runs off eight overs, with no wickets to his name.

Before the season began, this particular encounter stood out as an interesting sub-plot: Starc, returning to the IPL after a near-decade-long absence, playing in the home ground of the only other IPL team he’s ever represented. A team centred around Kohli, his long-term international opponent. In 2015 Starc claimed 20 wickets and went at 6.76 runs per over. Since then, he has won two more world titles, but could he repeat those heroics?

This was the first time Kohli – with his own point to prove – and Starc were facing off in the IPL.

Kohli took strike. Starc – unnaturally taller in the flesh – held the new ball. First one, angled away, Kohli deflected it past short third man to collect his first runs. Starc smiled – perhaps there was a hint of an outside edge. He’d do a lot more of that smiling painfully through the night.

Two overs later, Kohli came out with a killer punch: a cutter delivered on the legs, exquisitely flicked to the deep square-leg fence. Kohli nodded and punched gloves with Cam Green. Gold content for the broadcasters.

Next ball, Starc seared one into him, and he nearly chopped on. Late to it, the ball escaped his stumps and hurtled past wicketkeeper Phil Salt for four. Starc smiled again, the pain more evident. Oh, what it could have been.

Incredible 🤯🤯#IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/FzcRf62J08

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) March 29, 2024

“Starcy’s going to swing the ball back down the line early on – I’d imagine – and then use the wobble seam to go across him, and potentially try and nick Kohli off,” Smith had told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the game, predicting his long-time Australia teammate’s Bengaluru return. It didn’t really happen, at least in the eight balls Kohli faced off Starc in the powerplay, he managed to largely deal with that away angle, even if he didn’t look comfortable every time.

Why the Starc match-up held even more significance was due to Kohli’s history against left-arm pace. He’s been dismissed 37 times by southpaw quicks in the IPL, including 15 dismissals in the powerplay. Against them, he strikes at 116.51 in the powerplay, slightly lower than his overall number in the first six: 117.34, and much lower than his overall strike rate against left-arm quicks: 134.75. On Friday, he hit 19 from eight off Starc.

As Starc completed his second over, the figures reading 2-0-24-0, his best chance to strike had already passed.

Fifty against PBKS ✅
Fifty against KKR ✅

Virat Kohli 🤝 Consistency#ViratKohli #RCB #RCBvsKKR #IPL2024 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/1AWCPsLPag

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) March 29, 2024

Starc spent the best part of the next 45 minutes fielding in the circle and giving pre-over warm-up company to Andre Russell. Kohli went on to bat deep, like he often does, giving Starc another chance to have a go at him.

It came in the 16th over. By then, Russell’s variations (he bowled everything between 110 and 150 kph) compelled Starc to use his fingers around the ball a lot more, and a slower version came out at the death.

Kohli tried to muscle the first ball away, but missed, probably surprised by the difference in speed. It was evident the next ball, when his toe-end met the ball and bounced in front of Salt. Was Starc making a quiet comeback?

Another length ball in the same over escaped Kohli’s intended off-side heave. Three dots off the first four balls.

Starc slipped in a bouncer next and Kohli tried to pull it away, but it was too high. The trance snapped. He corrected the next one by bowling full outside off and Kohli drilled it over covers. Back to square one.

Next over, Starc presented another freebie on the pads, and Kohli, unmoved, clobbered it over deep mid-wicket. In all, Kohli versus Starc: 33 runs, 16 balls, four dots. On a pitch that was distinctly more difficult to bat in the first innings, Kohli had overcome the Starc threat, barring the little edge here and a little miss there. An off-colour Starc against a less-than-perfect Kohli didn’t quite justify the popcorn-munching hype.

In a space where cricketing titans regularly clash against each other, Kohli and Starc’s maiden IPL duel leaned one way. In less than a month, the return leg awaits in Kolkata. May there be more fireworks.